Joli Vyann – the acclaimed circus / dance company are on the road with their new show ‘Imbalance’ around the South West, performing at The Barbican Theatre, Plymouth on Friday 18 March.

Directed by Olivia Quayle and Jan Patzke, Joli Vyann is an innovative young company that use exciting and energetic hand-to-hand acrobatics and dance to explore contemporary issues. Olivia was born in Salisbury, and grew up in Ringwood and is thrilled to be touring Imbalance to the South West of England.

Joli Vyann has created Imbalance with internationally acclaimed choreographer / dance-maker Jonathan Lunn. Jonathan has toured globally and worked on large-scale operas, films, theatre and dance shows. He was Chichester Festival Theatre’s Associate Choreographer, and earned an Olivier Award Nomination for Best Choreographer in Theatre for the National Theatre’s Pericles. He was also a recipient of a NESTA Fellowship.

These days it’s rare not to be ‘logged in’ at every opportunity; the breakfast table, nights out with friends, even in bed. ‘Imbalance’ is a high-energy dance, circus and acrobatic fusion exploring our chaotic, digitally obsessed lives.

It questions whether our lives are ‘in’ or ‘out’ of balance; whether our reliance on technology helps or hinders us achieve this balance, and explores the dramatic affects this can have on our personal relationships.

“We wanted to explore, interpret and bring to audiences across the South West an exploration of our lives in this chaotic era,” say. Olivia Quayle and Jan Patzke, artistic directors and performers.

“There is an expectation that we are all logged on / connected, all the time, to different online platforms. We wanted to explore how and when we separate ourselves from this virtual chaos surrounding us, and how we can create a ‘work, rest and play’ balance.”

Tickets for this performance cost just £12 full price or £9 for concessions. To book, visit www.barbicantheatre.co.uk or call Barbican Theatre’s Box Office on 01752 267131.

‘Imbalance’ is part of ‘Shift & Share’, which is lead by Pavilion Dance South West in collaboration with partner venues across the South West.

The project, which is supported by Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring Fund, is committed to bringing dance to more audiences in the South West. It involves a pilot strategic distribution (Shift), and audience and skills development (Share) to increase audiences for small-scale dance in the South West.

Shift & Share’s Sasha Dobrota says: “The aims of Shift & Share are to identify what’s stopping people from experiencing professional contemporary dance and experiment with innovative ways of getting audiences to see contemporary dance often for the first time.

“Joli Vyann’s ‘Imbalance’ was chosen to be part of this project as it is a visually sensational, meaningful, thought provoking, relevant dance and theatre show, with huge scope to attract new audiences through creative social media campaigns, educational programmes, ticket schemes and more. So keep a look out for different ways to get involved.”

For full details visit www.joli-vyann.com/tourAdditional information:A masterclass with Joli Vyann will take place the evening before their stunning performance of Imbalance, on Thursday 17 March from 6-8pm at The Barbican Theatre. The masterclass integrates exciting acrobatic skill development with athletic dance; it’s energetic, risky and fun! This opportunity is suitable for dance students, dance artists, physical theatre performers, gymnasts and acro yoga enthusiasts aged 14 years +. Prices are £8, full price and £5 for concessions and can be booked at www.barbicantheatre.co.uk/workshops or by calling the Barbican Theatre’s Box Office on 01752 267131.

SPECIAL OFFER SAVE £3: We are also pleased to offer a discounted joint price of £13 (for full priced attendees only) for those who book both the Joli Vyann masterclass and the 2Faced Dance Professional Development Workshop. (The 2Faced Dance masterclass, is a fantastic technical and creative development opportunity. It will take place from 6pm – 8pm on Friday 26 February in RL308, Roland Levinsky Building, Plymouth University. The masterclass is held ahead of the 2Faced Dance Dreaming in Code performance at The House, Plymouth University, on Friday 4 March). Joint session tickets can also be booked at www.barbicantheatre.co.uk/workshops or by calling the Barbican Theatre’s Box Office on 01752 267131

Joli Vyann have also chosen Plymouth as the location for a free ‘Pop Up’ performance ahead of their main performance at the Barbican Theatre on Friday 18 March. The ‘Pop Up’ will take place in The Atrium at Plymouth School of Creative Arts, 21 Millay Road, PL1 3EG at 4pm on Monday 29 February and will give students and the public a chance to have a sneak preview of Joli Vyann’s brilliant new show, Imbalance.